LKJ:
The Magnificent Seven (1960)
As someone who didn’t take to Seven Samurai nearly as strongly as everyone else did, I had my misgivings about watching this at all, as it felt like something of a negative freeroll: either I wouldn’t like it, which is bad, or I would like it to an extent that I didn’t like Seven Samurai, which may render me a simple American who prefers simple English-language adaptations…which is also bad.
Thankfully, I think this experience threaded the needle pretty well by being enjoyable in a way that gave me more energy toward giving Seven Samurai a rewatch sooner rather than later. Essentially, this helped me latch onto the bones of the story a bit better in certain ways while still making it clear to me that it was a stripped-down version of a richer text.
On its own, it’s a very capable western with a strong cast, and I would expect most who dig westerns to enjoy it. Your mileage may vary if you’re already a Seven Samurai fan, but this adaptation certainly doesn’t do anything to dishonor the work.
3/5 (could maybe give it 3.5/5 in a vacuum, it’s at least close to that quality level, but I feel handcuffed by my previous logging of Seven Samurai at 3/5)
Yep felt this way about Seven Samurai as well.
But also quoting this to say Harakiri was also an immediate 10/10 movie for me. I respect Seven Samurai for what it is, but Harakiri is my definitive black and white samurai movie.